Show I 1 Z Hc 0 t UI lV PAr 4 1 ance g Shelley We Wee e es s Ces r f fer i J CHAPTER I It t 1 1 B BRYN RYN finished his story Tall lean Jean bronzed he lie stood before the bl big crystal mirror hanging over the stone fireplace and examined his r stun ln critically It was a very nice chin but Bryn was not In the least concerned with Its nIceness be he was trying to determine whether Burch had or had not nicked It In- In It seemed not Burch had done his usual perfect Job Tubby his eyes round and distracted distracted distracted dis dis- dis- dis dropped Into one of ot the dee deep Morocco armchairs and stared out at the dusk It was pouring like smoke across the bay sifting through the Golden Gate to blot out the sunset The dally daily fleet of fishing vessels their sails a row of ot tiny dark triangles against the dIMming face of ot the sun slipped sUpped out once more to brave the perils of the tb vasty deep Below the ho house se the waves lapped Idly at the white I gentle and harmless I tubby fubby was not a philosopher and hi had very little Imagination To 1 Tubby a horse was a horse usually I with four legs and a tall tail It was not something over which kingdoms oms might be lost or with which princesses princesses prin prin- might be rescued Waves to Tubby were waves wares always wet and often chilly ly But But now as he stared down through the wide plate glass window there was a look of ot positive positive tive Uve Inspiration on his face as If It he were telling himself that these waves wa at least might sometimes wash the shores of ot China the far far dangerous shores of ot China that these waves might easily small and tender though they now appeared might easily puff purr and swell and lift themselves to fall with thunder and fury on one of the Innocent little vessels drifting now v so BO serenely past the sun Life was like that Tubby was convinced Tubby put his head bead down Into his hands bands and groaned Look here Bryn he said In a woebegone voice you cant can't go through with It t I wont won't let you That's final Tut tut Bryn responded amla amia bly He Be pressed a a bell on the mantelpiece man man- Burch bland and serene opened the door noiselessly Burch I am being married this evening There was a moment of dead stillness as If It even the waves had halted in their Irresistible course Then Burch swallowed and said nobly Indeed sir Do you OU wish me to procure a maidservant sir Bryn looked up startled A servant maid-servant 7 Do we need a maIdservants maidservant maid servant servants I was thinking of your wife sir My wife Bryn repeated his eyes coming sharply to Burch's face Then Ah ItAh no She will not be coming here Very good sir What shall I pack packs Bryn looked down at the gray suit with which Tubby had Insisted Insist Insist- ed he was desecrating the evening He considered Well IVell shirts and things Nothing else except those old golf golt trousers I got so much mud on at Tahoe Yes sir Nothing else No guns No fishing tackle No golf clubs Nothing By the way way way-I I am a ayoung ayoung young engineer out of ot work because because because be- be cause of the depression Anything I ft young engineer out of ot work be- be beI I I of the depression wouldn't have I wouldn't have Ive I've pawned It ft Burch Borch drew a n noticeable deep I breath eath Very good sir Shall you yoube yoube yoube be be here to breakfast breakfasts Certainly And And No I said she wasn't coming Ah ItAh yes sir Lunch s' s sr r No lunch I shall be leaving Immediately Immediately Im Im- Im mediately after atter breakfast and you needn't prepare dinner until approximately ap ap- approximately proximately a n year from tonight I Ishall shall be bo away during that time i 1 Yes sir And the orders for Morton Bryn swung round from the glass He Be regarded Burch thoughtfully That's so he said meditatively I I might have forgotten Tell Morton Morton Morton Mor Mor- ton to take a spanner will you and remove the paint paint not not all of ot It but large Jarge uneven portions portIons from from the Bellaire Tell him to take a n. chisel and give e It some nice deep scratches Tell him to make It look like a car I might have bought for forI I about labout two forty-two dollars and fifty cents from a bankrupt gang gangster ter He lIe might bash basil up the fenders tenders and If I anything further occurs to him 1 I The BellaIre sir The new French motor The black car cari cariAll All of those things Bryn said calmly Tubby stood up lBs Ills eyes rested on Burch's agitated countenance i He drew a deep breath I all Bryn said crisply Yes sir Burch Durch muttered despondently despondently despondently de de- and went out Tubby ubby was staring at Bryn Anybody Anybody Anybody Any body would think you OU were In loewith love lo with the girl he be said Would they How nice It sounds so much better So much more romantic and Idyllic To beIn beIn be bein in love with ones one's bride Instead of marrying her for her ber money Money I Tubby said bitterly Money 1 1 He Ho shook his head miserably mis mis- Youre making some kind of ot a damned fool tool out of ot yourself Bryn Youre You're letting some gang pull pulla a fast one on you that's what youre you're o re doing Do you think for tor a minute that that girl doesn't know v who you are ares She doesn't Bryn said calmly bright Tubby snort snorted d. d a remark Isn't It Very bright Now 1 If I ask you how In Gods God's name nome could anybody on the Pacific coast help having seen your ugly mug In Inthe Inthe inthe the papers how could anybody who can read help knowing about James Weldon Shipley Brynildson Third and his speed boats and his elephant elephant ele ele- ele tusks and his seven cars and his polo ponies Im sure she can read Bryn replied replied replied re re- re- re plied unruffled The first time I saw her she was reading over a lot lotof lotof lotof of legal documents up In Hoi Hoi- worthy's office Tubby eyed him for a long moment moment mo mo- ment Then he said gustily Look here Bryn Did It ever occur to toI toY Y r 7 I I t I Did Old It Ever Occur to You That Ted Holworthy Might Be Engl Engl- This Beautiful Mix up you that Ted Holworthy himself might be engineering this beautIful beautiful beautiful ful mix up Did It I 1 cant can't say that It did All this talking hes he's been doing about her What did he tell you about her for tor In the first place Oh I know v he said It was an InterestIng Interesting Interest Interest- Ing case but that was Just to ge get gel you listening you think It was an Interesting interesting In in- case Tubby Well If It It was a case yes Certainly Of course I I thought myself myself myself my my- self It was Interesting But you notice notice no no- tice Uce I didn't get all wrought up about It and start hanging bangIng around to get a look Jook at the girl and even If I had I wouldn't even dream of stepping Into a game like this and find marrying her myself Neither did I Bryn said I never dreamed of ot such a thing But ButI I was curious Ill I'll admit that You haven't any curiosity because you haven't bavent got any Imagination If It you had bad you'd have been hanging bangIng around too You'd have wanted to look at the man In the case when he arrived for this wedding to a girl hed he'd never seen and then when you saw the man you'd certainly have wanted to get a look Jook at the girl and when you saw v the girl Bryn paused Tubby looked I at him curiously but Bryn coughed and went on Immediately When you saw the girl you would most assuredly have wanted to know howIt how If It was nIl all going to come corne out She well she wasn't his type Tub Youre saying just what Ive I've been trying to say Tubby cried been working on your Imagination He Be knows what youre you're like Well Its It's succeeded Everything's Every things thing's gone according to plan Youre You're roped Tonight youre you're goIng goIng go go- Ing to marry this girl that youve you've only seen three times Umes a girl you dont don't really know a darn thing about Just lust because she has some kind of ot cock bull story about having baving to get married before her twenty twenty first first birthday and the man she's supposed to marry doesn't happen to take her fancy Of course he wouldn't take tako her fancy with you around Certainly he That's what Its It's all about you darn Idiot You James Weldon Shipley Third Ye e gods and little lit m. little tle tie fishes arent aren't there enough men menon menon menon on the coast who would marry her herfor herfor herfor for this fifty thousand dollars she's supposed to be paying you without you stepping Into It Its It's so damned absurd What are you doing It for tor Fifty thousand dollars doesn't mean anything to you youl I And they've got gott It t nIl all worked out so that therell there'll be plenty of ot publicity and trouble when you want a divorce you going up Into the Oregon backwoods backwoods backwoods back back- woods to live e with her for a year So romantic I J And shell she'll turn out outto outto to be a cheap little crook but shell she'll be married to you all nIl the same and entitled to a n lot of ot your our property when the break comes comes' and your name nalie as well Doesn't It soun sound beautiful ul Dont be nn an ass Bryn said comfortably com com- I happen to know that this business Is on the level le because because because be be- cause Ive I've known about the case for years ears I met the old gentleman gentleman gentle gentle- man himself Deborah's grandfather grandfather ther there when he was here here eight eight years ago fixing the will up w with h Teds Ted's father fa fn ther It was Just when I was taking taking tak take ing over my property and ami spending a good deal of ol time In Holworthy's office The old gentleman was a most Interesting old chap and we had several long conversations He was intensely concerned about this will he was making and very anxIous anxious anxious ious to make sure that he was doIng doing doIng do- do Ing the right thing The old man put the thing up to me as a hypothetical hypothetical hypo hypo- case and asked me what I thought of or It Being a young fool I thought it sounded fine So now Tubby said sald eyeing him when It t doesn't look as If It It might be so fine you feel responsible responsible sible Is that It Is that why youre you're throwing yourself away like a sack of soft potatoes Bryn sighed I 1 do wish you'd go and change your clothes he said You cant can't be my best man manIn manIn manIn In a white tie tic and tall tail not when Im I'm wearing a lounge suit Wed We'd probably have another earthquake And what about Filar Pilar Well what about her hers Tor or two years youve you've carted her around Everybody thinks youre you're going to marry her ber S Shell She'll eU go when she hears bears this Have nave you told her anything at all aU 1 How now could I tell her I wasn't sure myself until two hours ago And theres there's no reason why I should Ive I've never asked her to marry me or even hinted about It It Well WeIl I dont don't have to tell her do I That's a bright Idea Bryn said happily Thanks old man Ill I'll do dothe dothe the same for you one of ot these days Now on your our way war Tubby Go and get dressed Burch will bring you your cocktail and lend you one of ot othis his shirts and a collar You can wear my pants If it youre you're careful not notto notto notto to take a deep breath but I dont don't think you'd better try buttoning the coat All In keeping shell she'll think you got them second hand t t t t S S Twenty-three Twenty years previously Anne Whittaker Lamed Larned had eloped on the morning of the da day of ol her wedding to Courtney Graham and had married a young oung man who had bad he been a woman wo would ld neer never never nev nev- er have been received In the society society so so- clety In which the Larneds s moved The consequences were disastrous The young man had no money but buthe buthe buthe he had expected to ha have hae e a great grea 1 deal when the Larn Larneds d relented and forgave their only d daughter However However However How How- ever he encountered unexpected difficulties with the daughter herself herself herself her her- self for when she discovered why he be had married her she crept away from him her heart as nearly broken broken broken bro bro- ken as a physical organ can be broken bro bro- broken ken by human unhappiness and when her daughter was only a few days old she died Fortunately the young father who father who n never ver knew that he be was a father was father was kicked In a n vital spot by a horse and died before he be could cause any more misfortune thus strengthening the belief of a number of ot people In the vengeance and Justice of God The aged and broken grandparents took their daughters daughter's child and also the blame for tor their daughters daughter's unhappIness If It they told themselves themselves themselves them them- selves miserably they had guarded guard guard- ed ell her well she would never have met this handsome young scoundrel scoundrel scoundrel drel and all would have been as they had bad planned She would have married Courtney Graham scion of ot otan an old and spotless family and all her ways would have been ways was of ot pleasantness and all an her ber paths would have been paths of peace The Grahams were among the first people of Boston Nowhere on their escutcheon could be found a blot and even the erasure marks were so carefully done as to leave no trace A perfect marriage It would have bave been But their daughter daugh daugh- ter was dead and their bitter regret regret regret re re- gret was In vain However they still had the child and over the them m mothers mother's ther's grave they vowed to themselves themselves themselves them them- selves that nothing should mar this girls girl's life They dedicated their remaining years to her ber It seemed to them that they must creep out of ot the world with her hide her and find for her a sanctuary They had sold the historic man man- mansion sion In Boston and with their beautiful beautiful beau beau- old household goods had bad gone west as far as they could go out to the Oregon wilderness There Inthe Inthe in inthe the most glorious natural surroundings surroundings surround surround- ings they had built hullt a huge stone house They were miles from the nearest town and cut of oft off from all easy contact with civilization Here the child chilli Deborah grew up with only her ber gran grandparents parents and the servants for her companions In Inthe Inthe Inthe the early years when sl she e was yet et a small child she went Infrequently Infrequent infrequent- ly with her grandparents over the rough mountain roads to the little country town or was perhaps allowed allowed allowed al al- al- al lowed to accompany old Gary their servant on a 11 marketing expedition but as she grew older and her mothers mother's beauty began hegan to evidence Itself In her she was kept more and more closely at home There were quite often otten guests at nt the great greathouse greathouse greathouse house when Deborah was a child child- but they were grave elderly people like her grandparents so that sh shA grew v up completely cut oft off from companions of her own age nn and generation She had however a a. library full of ot books and three people people people peo peo- entirely devoted de to her welfare It must be admitted that of ot the three Grandfather Grandmother and Gary It was Gary who taught her the most Interesting things Grandfather taught her history and science and geography and political cal econom economy Grandmother taught her needlework and a number of things that made them both blush and over which they skipped as hastily as possible But nut Gary Gary Gary- Gary told her stories of ot people Yes there was Gary Grandfather Grandfather ther and Grandmother kept the Iron gates leading to the world locked and barred but Gary |